Posts Tagged ‘Health’

There’s only a few days left before Christmas! And if you’re like me who’s not a fan of shopping but wants to make sure that your friends and family knows you care this season, then you must have just started thinking about what gifts to give them for Christmas. Of course, you want your gift to be useful and meaningful and you wouldn’t want to just pick random stuff from the dollar store – and at this time I’m sure that all stores you’ll go to will be packed crazy with shoppers! Do not fret. Here are some Christmas Gift Ideas that would encourage your family and friends to be more active and healthy for the next seasons to come! You can order them straight from Amazon, which I just found to be awesome! Even in this busy season, their delivery service is still efficient and quick, and I got my gift orders in less than 5 days!

Here are a few Christmas Fitness Gift Ideas for you (not in any relevant order):

1.) Fitbit Charge.

I’ve been using my Fitbit Charge for over a year now and I enjoy it! It tracks not just my runs (or walks) but also my sleep, weight, hydration, and nutrition. I really like the diet log feature where I can check how many calories there are in common foods and restaurants, so I track my calorie in way better. They just came out with a Fitbit with HR monitor, which I’m sure is more awesome!

You can get the Regular Fitbit Charge by clicking HERE without HR monitor.

If your family or friend have been going to the gym for a while now, or is planning to start a gym membership next year, then they will enjoy this one! The Ab Roller is a simple, portable, and fun equipment to use to work not just the core, but also the arms and shoulders! They can do many variations on this versatile equipment, but make sure you train with them!

The Grid a better version of the humble Foam Roller to help cure the aches and pain of your recipient family or friend. They can use it even if they’re not frequent gym goers, and it might encourage them to try other training equipment for a change! Don’t forget to teach them how to use the foam roller properly!

As a Personal Trainer, I know how grip strength plays a large role in big lifts such as the presses and the Deadlift. Unfortunately, it’s something that is not worked on as often. This Grip Strengthener is a great gift for gym-goer-friends or family that they will definitely appreciate. Apart from that, they’re not too expensive to give!

If you really want to encourage your loved one to get into Fitness, then ask them to try out the Online Fitness Coaching. Click this link for more details: Online Fitness Coaching. They can easily follow monitored exercise programs and gradually reach an ideal fitness level that they desire. Send me a message or just follow the link HERE so we could talk how to start a program with your loved one.

If you’re ordering from Amazon, they offer FREE SHIPPING for a minimum amount of order, so it might be better if you get multiple items at a time so that you don’t waste your money on shipping fees. Isn’t that awesome?

Statistics say that losing weight and staying fit and healthy always make it to the Top 10 New Year’s Resolution list that people make. However, statistics also say that most people do not adhere to their resolution, or if they do, they find it hard to sustain it for the whole year! You may have been one of those who made this resolution once or twice before but can’t seem to keep it up for the rest of the year.

Setting a goal is good. But goals will only be good on paper unless we take the next steps to do them. How many people do you think know what to do next after writing their new year’s resolution? How can you make sure that you stick to your goal to lose weight, stay healthy, and get fit?

Direction.
After you set your goal for this year to lose weight, stay healthy, and get fit, the next thing that you should do is to get DIRECTION. You don’t just plan to go to a place without looking at the map to know the best route to your destination. The same goes with the goal to lose weight and stay healthy.

Having a training program is the key to get the direction you need to lose weight and stay healthy. With a good training program, you are sure to get the most out of your workouts and that you are not wasting your time.

Measurement.
When you have the proper direction, the next thing you should do is to MEASURE. Your goals should be attainable and measurable. How much weight do you want to lose? Or to better paraphrase the question, how much weight can you lose in a healthy way? On average, it is safe to lose 1.5 to 2 lbs a week with regular exercise that includes strength training and cardio workouts.

Honestly though, weight is only a vague measurement of how fit or healthy you are. Your body weight can be affected by water, muscle mass, bone density, and much more! At 6’2″ Hugh Jackman was 198 lbs when he bulked up for the movie Wolverine. His BMI would be considered ‘overweight’ based on standard values.

What matters more is your body circumference or girth measurement. It is a better indicator for losing subcutaneous fat – the stubborn fat under your skin – than stepping on the weighing scale. When you determine which ones to measure, then you can easily track your progress and know how to keep improving in your training.

Commitment.
Lastly, you need COMMITMENT. This may sound cliche, but again goals are only good on paper unless you commit to doing them. I started to work as a Personal Trainer in a gym in the first quarter of the year.

Many of my clients who I trained signed up for Personal Training thinking that it will help them commit to pursuing their fitness goal. They got the best training program specific to their goals and needs, and I helped them determine how to measure attainable results. But only the committed clients stayed for the rest of the year. Some were always caught up with their work schedule or other errands always seem to get in the way of training. A few realised after a couple of sessions that they were not ready to commit and sacrifice time and energy.

If you want change to happen, you have to commit everything it takes to get the change you want. In my experience in personal training, there are people who pay big money to the gym for one on one personal training and expect that it will make them commit to their goal. It’s a big mistake and a waste of money.

As a personal trainer I can give you direction; I can motivate you towards your goal; and I can challenge you to push yourself more. What I cannot do is to make you commit to show up every training day and to give your 100% every time.

If you are serious about your fitness goal to lose weight, get healthy, and stay fit, then you just need to motivate yourself to follow these three next steps after writing your goal. Find the direction you need so that you don’t feel lost when you train and so that each training day would be worth it. Get an accurate measurement of your goal and reach for specific, attainable results to keep you motivated. Keep in mind that your goal requires long-term commitment. Don’t be overwhelmed but simply take small steps to develop habits that will help you reach your goal.

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Do you think you can commit to your fitness goal to lose weight, get healthy and stay fit? I can help give you direction and support that you need to be successful in your goal. Send me a direct message or check out the SERVICES page.

We all know that regular and consistent exercise is beneficial to everyone. We can never run out of great reasons to exercise! However for most people in this busy society we live in today, exercise still falls below the top 10 priorities in our “to-do” list.

I mentioned in a previous article how the FITT principle determines the outcome of any exercise or training regimen. Simply put, the FITT Principle states that exercise has to be FREQUENT with the appropriate INTENSITY to achieve specific goals, which determines how much TIME will be spent and what TYPE of exercises has to be done. For example, a low-intensity workout consisting of movements such as walking or swimming, has to be done for a little longer period (at least 30 minutes) to achieve cardiovascular (heart and lung) endurance for 3 to 5 times a week.

Some research today on High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) indicates that training at a high intensity for less than 10 minutes a day at 3 times a week can achieve sufficient health gains. However in my opinion, I don’t think that the proposed 10 minute (or less) HIIT workout is a good recommendation for everyone. The principle of Individuality should be applied and take into consideration the fitness level of an individual before undertaking any HIIT program. It also boils down to each individuals exercise preferences and goals. For example, an adventurous person who aims to improve cardiovascular and even muscular endurance and wants to be fit so that she can last on long-duration activities such as running, swimming, or hiking will benefit more from low-intensity endurance training. On the other hand, a busy office person who has been going to the gym and is used to being on-the-go can benefit enough from HIIT, if her goal is only to maintain her fitness level and squeeze in an exercise routine to her busy schedule.

In any case, regular exercise results in a myriad of benefits that not only helps us prevent chronic disease, but improves our quality of life. Exercise will not only make us live longer, but enjoy life better.

If you are not thoroughly convinced, here’s a simple infographic from the PTDC – a great resource for Personal trainers and fitness enthusiasts – showing 101 reasons to exercise.

This post is adapted from Matt Fitzgerald‘s article. He’s the author of RUN: The Mind-Body Method of Running by Feel (VeloPress, 2010) and an expert training content developer for PEAR Sports. Learn more at mattfitzgerald.org
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There’s a reason Olympic runners have coaches—the same reason you may need one.

Meb Kelfezighi has a coach. So does Desiree Davila. So do Kara Goucher, Shalane Flanagan and Dathan Ritzenhein. Almost all of the American runners who went to the London Olympics last summer work with coaches.

Self-coached age-group runners might wonder why. After all, running is not a team sport where a coach is needed to decide who starts and who comes off the bench, who plays which position, and so forth. Nor is running a highly technical sport like swimming, where coaches are needed to observe and correct form flaws. Indeed, one of the virtues of running as a sport is its simplicity. Within a few years of taking it up any runner can acquire all of the knowledge he requires to coach himself.

If you ask America’s Olympic runners directly why they have coaches, most of them will not cite their lack of knowledge of the sport. These runners know perfectly well how to train. They seek other things from their coaches. Kara Goucher has said that she relies on her coaches to help build her confidence and to take the burden of planning and interpreting her training off her shoulders. Many elite athletes rely on coaches to keep them from doing stupid things, like respondingto symptoms of overtraining by training harder.

Another advantage of working with a coach is accountability. This advantage snuck up on me when, in my late thirties, I chose to work with a coach for the first time since high school. My conscious reason for hiring a coach was that I had run out of ideas on how to improve and I wanted someone to give me fresh ideas. That’s another benefit of working with a coach. And, sure enough, my coach had me try some new things with my training that worked well. This was expected. What was unexpected was the sense of heightened accountability that I felt. I never saw myself as an athlete who cut corners, but when I had a coach to report back to I suddenly found myself not cutting corners that I had cut unconsciously before.

As a coach myself, I may be biased, but I believe that every runner can benefit from working with a good coach. Any one of the above-mentioned benefits—confidence building, stress
alleviation, stupid mistake avoidance, accountability, andfresh ideas—could make the partnership worthwhile. And theknowledge component should not be underestimated. For lack of knowledge most runners, and even most competitive runners, make fundamental mistakes in their training such as not varying the intensity of their workouts sufficiently.

Once you’ve made the decision to work with a coach you must then find one.The first step in this process is deciding if you’d rather work face to face with a coach in your area of work through the internet and/or by phone with a coach who could be anywhere.

The advantages of working face to face with a local coach are obvious. You certainly won’t do every run with your coach present, but he or she can directly supervise some of your most important workouts. You may also enjoy the opportunity to do track workouts and such with a group of other runners working under the same coach. A coach who sees you run can do things that a remote coach cannot, such as correct your form and observe that you look tired and need a rest.

One of the advantages of opening up the map in your coaching search is that you can be very choosy. If you insist on working with a coach who has experience with national champions—well, there may not be such a coach available in
your area.

To summarize, I think you should have a coach. Few runners regret the decision to hire a coach, and it’s a small risk in any case. If it doesn’t work out you can go back to talking yourself out of making stupid mistakes with your training.

A New Way to Get a Coach.

Technology has recently made possible a new type of coach – with the endless possibilities of the internet today, you can sign up for coaching online! For runners, I recommend Ben Greenfield, author of Author of the popular “Beyond Training” book. He is currently the founder and owner of Human Wellness Solutions, a company that develops innovative and cutting-edge fitness and nutrition services and solutions to help people reach their physical and mental performance goals, whether that be to cross the finish line of an Ironman triathlon, or simply shed a few pounds.

Voted in 2008 as the Personal Trainer of the Year by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and recognized as the top 100 Most Influential People in Health, Ben Greenfield is a fitness, triathlon, and nutrition expert, and has authored multiple books and DVDs

The advantage of this online coaching and training course is that you can have access to the products of one of the best athlete and coach there is at any time you want! Ben Greenfield offers lots of advice, lessons, and training plans from the Triathlon Dominator, to Running pain free, and strength training. Another great advantage of having an Online Coach is that it costs less compared to when you get a personal coach. When you get an Online Coach, you only pay for a one-time investment for the program you choose, whereas having a personal coach requires you to pay him/her for every session!

These programs are proven to work and you can see the many testimonials available for each program. The only setback to having an online coach is that YOU have to push yourself and motivate yourself to be dedicated, consistent, and patient with the program.

Remember that this is not some advertisement that you usually see on the internet claiming instant results – it’s a TRAINING COURSE based on proven exercise programs backed up by sports science. The instructions, demo videos, and even one-on-one online coaching are available with a click from your hands. Like any other training regimen, the results are based on how committed you are to training! The guarantee for each program to work depends on how you guarantee your commitment to it and your passion for running.

Don’t get it if you think you won’t be able to follow consistently and be patient with the results. But if you are passionate with your sport and you really want to commit to train to achieve more, then get coached by one of the best triathletes today – it’s worth the investment!

Ben Greenfield offers numerous eBooks and training courses, and if you are the committed athlete who is wiling to invest time and resources in the best training plan there is, the Ironman Dominator Package is for you:

Being fit is not only about being able to meet the demands of your daily activities (work, school, etc) well, but about having that extra energy for other recreational pursuits, unplanned activities, and/or emergencies without getting too tired. These two definitions that I found are what I think the most accurate and complete.

The first definition by Clarke (1976) is the one which was used by most Physical Education subjects:

“The ability to carry out daily tasks (work and play) with vigour and alertness, without undue fatigue and with ample energy to enjoy leisure-time pursuits and to meet unforeseen emergencies.”

Hoeger (2006) rephrased the definition while keeping it specific and complete:

“The ability to meet the ordinary as well as the unusual demands of daily life safely and effectively without being overly fatigued and still have energy left for leisure and recreational activities.”

Cardio-vascular Endurance, Muscular Endurance, and Speed are the main components in Running.

Fitness has various aspects which should be fully understood by coaches and trainers for a more elaborate and complete training program that would help the athlete/client reach his/her goals effectively. It is subdivided into two kinds of components that helps define it more specifically: Health-related components and Skill-related components. This means that a person can be healthy without being fit. Therefore, I believe that for the sedentary individual who wants to change and live life to the full, the coach/trainer should set Fitness as the main goal and not just “Health.”

There have been a lot of variations with regards to the number of Components of Fitness – some say there are as many as 12 while others narrow it down to as few as 4 components. For me, being specific is important to fully understanding the primary goal of achieving Fitness and that there are 11 Components that should be considered with regards to exercise programming. One thing to keep in mind is the Principle of Individuality – for every component each person has a different ‘level of fitness‘ compared to another, and the level to be reached for athletes (ie, ‘high and competitive fitness level’) may be different for regular individuals (average or above average fitness level). For example, some people relate being fit to just body composition and strength, but flexibility should also be targeted even for the office worker to relieve him/her of chronic back pains. However, the target level of flexibility for the sedentary individual would be much lower compared to the target for athletes, like those who train in gymnastics.

Another thing to remember: while it is important to be aware of the specifics, training for these Fitness Components usually overlap and it might not be helpful to over-analyze the training program and develop each component interdependently. A good exercise program whether for athletes or for ordinary individuals would have those components working together, and just focus on a single component to be developed when it seems necessary.

Health-related Components

1.) Cardio-Respiratory Endurance– the ability of the heart, lungs and blood vessels (Cardiovascular and Respiratory System) to deliver oxygen to the working muscles and remove wastes.

This component requires the Aerobic (Oxidative) System to provide energy for activities done for prolonged periods (continuous for about an hour and more) and involves the whole body (ie, running, swimming, bicycling). The level of Cardio-Respiratory Endurance can be observed not only by how long a person/athlete can sustain an activity, but also on how fast he/she recovers during rest.

Muscular Endurance.

2.) Muscular Endurance– this refers to the local or individual ability of a muscle to sustain work for a prolonged period of time with due fatigue.
3.) Muscular Strength– this is the ability of the muscles to exert force against a resistance. There are types of Muscular strength: Isometric contraction (resisting force without moving or shortening muscles), Dynamic or Isotonic contraction (ie, pushing, pulling, lifting), and Isokinetic contraction.
4.) Flexibility– this refers to the continuum of Range of Motion (ROM) that a joint or sequence of joints can fully reach. It can be either static (flexibility without moving) or dynamic (moving a joint through its ROM while doing an activity/sport).
5.) Body Composition– our body is composed mainly of bone, muscle, and fat. The ratio between the three is essential to knowing the fitness level of an individual, that is, the contrast of the mass of bones, muscle and organs (lean body mass) against body fat. The leanness or fatness of an indiviudal may vary according to one’s somatotype (body type), age, and weight, but there are norms to determine the healthy ratio for a specific person.

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A significant amount of Flexibility is important even to non-athletes.

Skill-related Components

6.) Speed– is measured by the distance covered over time, or simply, how fast the body can move quickly in one direction. This is shown in running forward, backpedaling, or side stepping.
7.) Power– Power is the product of force and speed (Force x Distance/Time). It is the combination of strength and speed which produces the maximal contraction in one explosive act (ex, jumping, throwing).
8.) Coordination– refers to the ability of the body to control the muscles of the body in a flowing and harmonious way to produce the most efficient desired action. The neuromuscular and musculoskeletal systems work together for an accurate execution of a physical task. This is very important in other skill-related components of Fitness.
9.) Balance– as the name implies, this is the ability of the body to maintain equilibrium whether in a static (single-leg stand or handstand) or dynamic position. Dynamic balance is essential to any sport.
10.) Reaction Time– refers to the quickness of the nervous system to respond to an eternal stimuli. The brain receives the stimuli (by the 5 senses) and sends signals to specific muscles to respond appropriately. This will show the worth of repeated practice sessions that cause the muscles to “memorize” the necessary movements.
11.) Agility– this is the ability to change direction quickly while moving at a fast speed. It is a combination of flexibility, coordination, balance, speed, and power. This can be seen in sports such as tennis, football, basketball, and the likes.

Sports such as Football utilizes all of the Skill-related Components of Fitness.

Note again that these health and skill related components of Fitness are not discrete – they usually overlap and work with each other. Thus, developing a training program need not to be too specific to address each component individually as long as the exercises and drills work the necessary components required to reach the desired goal for the athlete or client.